By Bec Reid (Psychologist)
Many people with ADHD carry years of shame about their relationship with food. They've been told they lack self-control, need more discipline, or simply need to "eat healthier." Unfortunately, these messages miss what's really going on.
Research shows that people with ADHD are significantly more likely to experience binge eating than the general population. This isn't because they lack willpower or don't care enough. Rather, ADHD affects many of the brain systems involved in reward, impulse control, hunger regulation and executive functioning
What is binge eating disorder?
Binge Eating Disorder (BED) involves recurrent episodes of eating an unusually large amount of food while experiencing a sense of loss of control. Episodes are often accompanied by feelings such as guilt, shame or distress afterwards.
Unlike bulimia nervosa, binge eating episodes are not regularly followed by behaviours such as vomiting, excessive exercise or laxative use.
Importantly, binge eating isn't simply "overeating." Most of us occasionally eat more than we intended—at birthdays, holidays, or if we have missed a meal. BED is characterised by a persistent pattern of loss of control that causes significant distress.
Binge Eating Disorder is the most common eating disorder, affecting around 2–3% of people during their lifetime.
Why can ADHD increase the risk?
ADHD doesn't directly cause binge eating, but some of the characteristics associated with ADHD can make binge eating more likely.
1. Impulsivity:
· Can make the urge for “just one more” difficult to circumvent; and
· Can make it difficult to pause, consider alternatives, or stop once you have started, particularly when stressed, tired, or emotionally overwhelmed.
· Many people with ADHD describe eating before they have consciously realised they have made the decision to do so.
2. Executive functioning can make regular eating difficult. This might mean:
· Forgetting to eat because you've hyperfocused;
· Becoming distracted and missing meals;
· Struggling to plan, shop for, or prepare food; and
· Waiting until you're ravenous before eating.
3. ADHD brains are often seeking stimulation.
· Highly palatable foods often provide immediate dopamine driven reinforcement.
· For an under stimulated brain, food can become a quick and reliable way to regulate mood.
4. Recognising hunger and fullness cues are often harder.
· Differences in understanding internal body signals can make recognising or understanding hunger and fullness cues more challenging.
· If you have not noticed you are hungry until you are REALLY hungry, this will make a binge episode far more likely.
· If you have difficulties interpreting fullness cues, you might struggle to notice when your body has eaten enough until you have already consumed beyond what feels comfortable.
5. Food is often used as a coping strategy. This might mean:
· Using food to help with managing stress, overwhelm, or emotional challenges; and
· Using food to regulate, control, or numb intense feelings; and
· After a stressful day, food can provide comfort, predictability, and temporary relief.
Importantly, while these factors may increase a person’s susceptibility, most people with ADHD do not develop BED, and many people with BED do not have ADHD.
The shame cycle
Perhaps the hardest part isn't the binge itself, it's what comes afterwards.
Many people experience intense guilt and decide they'll "be good tomorrow." They may skip breakfast, restrict food, or make rigid rules to compensate.
Unfortunately, restricting your food intake (or not eating regularly, eating enough or including enough variety) can increase the likelihood of another binge. If it senses that you're not eating enough or often enough, it will Your body is very good at protecting you: if it senses that it is not receiving enough energy or food often enough, it naturally increases hunger and cravings.
Therefore, the cycle then often continues:
Restrict → Become overly hungry → Binge → Feel guilty → Restrict again
Breaking this cycle often starts with reducing shame rather than increasing discipline.
What can help?
· Eat regularly
o Eating a meal or snack roughly every 3–4 hours may help prevent intense hunger and reduce the likelihood of binge eating.
o If hunger cues are unclear or unreliable, eating to a regular schedule may be more helpful than waiting to feel hungry.
· Make food easier
o Executive functioning challenges mean that convenience matters!
o Rather than expecting yourself to cook every meal, think about foods that are quick, accessible and low-effort.
o Aim for "good enough" meals rather than perfect ones.
· Pause before eating (but not to judge yourself)
o Try asking:
What am I noticing right now?
Am I physically hungry?
Am I mentally exhausted?
Am I seeking stimulation?
What do I actually need?
o Sometimes eating will still be what you need, and that is okay. The aim is not to talk yourself out of eating, but to pause and become curious about what your mind and body need in that moment.
· Reduce all-or-nothing thinking
o If you experience a binge, try not to view the whole day as “ruined”. It may help to view it as a temporary lapse rather than a full relapse.
o After a binge, try to avoid compensating by skipping your next meal, as this may increase hunger and make another binge more likely.
o After a binge, returning to your usual pattern of regular eating is generally more helpful than trying to “make up for” what you have eaten.
· Consider whether ADHD (if applicable) is adequately treated
o For some people, effectively managing ADHD symptoms—whether through psychological strategies, environmental supports, medication, or a combination of approaches—can significantly improve eating patterns as well.
o This isn't because ADHD treatment is a treatment for binge eating itself, but because improving attention, impulsivity, and executive functioning can reduce some of the factors that contribute to binge eating.
When to seek support
If binge episodes are happening regularly, causing distress, or leaving you feeling out of control, support is available.
Evidence-based treatments such as Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), enhanced CBT (CBT-E), and other psychological approaches can be highly effective. If ADHD is also present, it's important that treatment considers both conditions together rather than treating eating behaviours in isolation.
If you're concerned about binge eating, speaking with your GP is a good place to start. They can discuss treatment options and, if appropriate, refer you to a psychologist and/or Accredited Practising Dietitian with experience in eating disorders. Recovery is absolutely possible.
For people who have both ADHD and BED, understanding how ADHD may influence their eating can help reduce self-blame and identify strategies that better meet their needs.
A final thought
A powerful shift in mindset often occurs when people stop asking,
"Why can't I just have more self-control?"
and start asking,
"What is my brain trying to do for me?"
That question opens the door to curiosity instead of criticism.
Binge eating in ADHD is rarely about a lack of willpower. More often, it's the result of a brain trying its best to regulate attention, emotions, hunger and reward in a world that asks it to do all of those things at once.
Understanding this does not remove the challenge, but it can help replace shame with self-compassion, which is often where meaningful change begins.
Information and resources used to create this blog were drawn from the National Eating Disorders Collaboration (NEDC) and the Centre for Clinical Interventions (CCI).